Shoppers switch to Sainsbury's brand

Sainsbury claims that its Switch and Save campaign to entice consumers to switch from branded foods to its cheaper own-label products has resulted in one-third of its customers making the change.

Consumers recognised they could save at least 20% by switching to Sainsbury's own-label products without abandoning quality, chief executive Justin King said at the SOFHT dinner.

"Almost a third of customers told us recently that they had transferred to own-brand products as a result of the pressures on their budgets and would not be switching back," claimed King.

At a separate engagement in Belfast last month, where he was speaking to the Northern Ireland Food & Drink Association, King said: "We have 165 new own-brand lines. With 140 of them, customers tell us they prefer Sainsbury's own-brand products. The rest show no preference."

The top three Basics lines were full-flavoured cheddar cheese, chicken fillets, and bananas, with Sainsbury's 33p cans of Basics tomatoes becoming another best seller.

More than half of Sainsbury's customers bought its Basics and Taste the Difference lines.